Black Rock Solar Shines

Inside this Article

Pyramid Lake School in Nixon, Nevada, is partially powered by a solar array installed by Black Rock Solar.

Students from Hunter Lake Elementary School in Reno visit the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. Students learn about renewable energy and Paiute culture at the museum, which is partially powered by a Black Rock Solar array.

Beginner

In 2007, when the Nevada state legislature established the SolarGenerations rebate program for customers of NV Energy, the state’s largest utility, entrepreneurs Tom Price and Richard Scott saw an opportunity. SolarGenerations provided upfront rebates for installations on public buildings, including nonprofits, churches, schools, and tribal offices.

The duo devised a plan to provide free or low-cost PV systems through the rebates and other public funding. They founded the Reno-based nonprofit Black Rock Solar (BRS, blackrocksolar.org), assembled a crew of volunteers, and began knocking on doors and cold-calling prospective clients. Six years later, BRS’s 25-person crew has installed more than 3 megawatts of PV throughout the state—including 201 kW at Western Nevada College in Carson City; 45 kW at the Children’s Cabinet Youth Center in Reno; and 91 kW for buildings operated by the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe.

“Many schools, nonprofits, and tribes don’t consider solar because they think they cannot afford the upfront costs. We help them take advantage of all the available incentives and raise additional funds through donations,” says Patrick McCully, BRS executive director. “In the end, our clients pay very little, if anything, for the installation, and they save hundreds, even thousands, in electricity costs each year. That’s money they can use to support their missions.”

Once funding is in place, BRS’s crew installs the system. In return, clients sign over all or a portion of the rebates they receive. This amount is typically equal to one to three years of the estimated electricity savings from the system output, says McCully.

In the past, the majority of BRS’s funding to pay its staff and support its administrative operations came from the SolarGenerations rebates collected from clients. Funded through a small surcharge on NV Energy’s customers, the rebates paid as much as $5 per watt at one point for PV systems installed on public buildings. Since government agencies, nonprofits, and schools are tax-exempt and unable to take the federal tax credit, the NV Energy rebates have been especially important for promoting Nevada’s solar growth in this sector, McCully says.

But as the price of PV has dropped, so have the rebates. In 2013, the state’s public utility commission approved NV Energy’s proposal to reduce the solar rebates for public buildings to $1 per watt, down from $2.80 per watt during the previous phase. Now, NV Energy is proposing that rebates be cut even more, down to $0.1724 per watt for public buildings. The utility had plans to reopen the program for applications starting November 1, 2013. Though this release is scheduled to be the utility’s last round of upfront incentives, McCully doubts that such low-level incentives will be enough to make the initial costs of a new solar project affordable for nonprofits and schools already facing budget challenges.

With the proposed cuts, BRS’s time in Nevada may be coming to an end. The nonprofit is exploring several options, including moving its operations across state lines to California, where incentives are still available. However, the group remains hopeful that this summer’s acquisition of NV Energy by Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy may be a game-changer in the long run, given that MidAmerican is a major owner and developer of solar projects.

In the meantime, BRS is wrapping up what may be its last SolarGenerations rebate-funded installation—a 31 kW rooftop PV system for Friends In Service Helping (FISH), one of northern Nevada’s biggest charities, which serves more than 200,000 free meals a year. Rebates covered most of the system cost, and BRS partnered with the Las Vegas-based charity Green Our Planet to raise $12,000 via an online crowd-funding campaign. The system, due to be operational by early 2014, will be installed on the roof of FISH’s thrift store in downtown Carson City.

For now, BRS is sustaining its operations by relying more heavily on donations and grants for its education work, which includes a field-trip program where grade-school students learn about renewable energy and energy conservation while visiting BRS project sites. Funding from clients, as well as in-kind and subsidized donations of solar goods from the industry, has grown in importance as the incentives have declined.

Comments (5)

Residential PV ownership is the best investment for most homeowners.
For future buyers considering investment in a solar electric(PV) system on your property, here's some info. for thought when not sure about owning PV system now, vs. later?

Based on cost/Watt (or cost/kWh), the investment on most PV systems (depending on type/site & purpose) main benefit of owning is avoiding increasing utility bills now & for decades(sadly you would pay until you move or die!). The vast majority of Solar electric(PV) systems are cost effective since PV system ownership does have a "payback" (it may be 5-15 years) but they Are 'Paid-Off' (verses a increasing electric bill due to inflation which will never be 'paid-off'!)...so 10 years from now (if you don't own a solar energy system) you will have accumulated $10's of $1000's paid to utility companies 'renting' your electric power (selling kWh's), then, like rent, you have No equity by 'renting' utility power flow at any time.

In contrast, Owning the 'power plant' (on your property) will most likely be paid-off before you retire (depending on your age) if you start within, e.g. min. 10 years, of your planned retirement when you can then have no electric bills in your 'golden years' using the sun's free 'fuel' for your electricity!
Ownership of the source (your 'power plant') using Sun's free fuel will always beat any monthly electric bill (for the same kWh usage) even if low-interest loan to own it.
Bonus to all of us is solar is a truly clean energy source with practically no adverse health impacts for the electricity needed for today's modern lifestyle!

And most ROI's on PV systems today(depending on site/type, etc.) is very high, and IRR is usu. over 10% !!

Plus, it's a more secure investment, located on your property which increases your homes value by $17,000.00**
(**2011 Berkeley, CA. study), and, depending on your home PV system size, some analyze increase in property value up to $40,000.00!! (http://www.resilientcommunities.com...)

+ Add a battery back-up to PV system, you will be able use your own on-site, locally produced electricity when the 'Grid is down' and if want later, to go 'Off-grid" (with correctly sized sys.) at the 'flip of switch'! Now that alone is worth more than just the return on investment benefit (even with inverter or batt. replacement) by OWNing the 'power plant' at your home(or work), i.e. your own solar electric system on your property to enjoy the decades of savings using cleans, safe secure power from your roof, or backyard!
Oh, since we are in the U.S.A., how much is the value of Freedom?
It's TIME for Solar!!

This really made me feel good to see this type of funding in place. It's not perfect, but it puts the available technology in more affordable places than through conventional means. I still feel that PV is not the best choice for most residential due to the overall cost, but BRS looks like they have a much better system for getting the tech out there than others.

Hi Ben. This is a common misconception. In most places, rooftop PV is just as cheap as utility energy. For example, it is possible to take out a loan to buy a system, and completely pay it off with money saved on the utility bill. Then once it is paid off, the system's future production is free -- something the utility will never be.